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Posted on 08/31/2009 5:11:06 AM PDT by markomalley
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday accepted the early retirement of a northeastern Pennsylvania bishop who critics say alienated parishioners with his leadership style.
The brief announcement, keeping to Vatican tradition, did not say why Bishop Joseph Martino, 63, submitted his resignation. The usual retirement age for bishops is 75.
Martino, who was installed in 2003, has been a controversial, conservative leader of the diocese that serves 350,000 parishioners.
Earlier this year, he blasted a local Catholic university for sponsoring a lecture by a gay-rights advocate. He also threatened to cancel a traditional St. Patrick's Day parade Mass if parade organizers honored an abortion-rights supporter.
Supporters insist Martino is simply enforcing church teachings.
The pope accepted Martino's resignation under a provision of church law in which a bishop, due to illness or "some other grave reason, has become unsuited" to carry out his duties.
The pope on Monday also accepted the resignation of Scranton's auxiliary bishop, John Dougherty, for reasons of age. Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican more than two years ago, when he turned 75, but it has not been accepted until now.
No new appointments were announced.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Perhaps this good bishop will join the traditionalists.
Maybe my diocese could work a trade...if it’s not too late in the season
My guess is he’s probably sick on in poor health.
As a traditional Roman Catholic, this news is sad. Our clergy is forced to defer to progressive parishoners. The men who serve our church devote their lives to God. They have first rate degrees in Theology. Granted, some men of the cloth capitulate. They endorse pro abortion, pro gay marriage candidates. They fall into the greater good, liberal lie, trap. I think it all started with guitar masses, and making kneeling optional.
This Bishop was not so good. He closed the only Catholic High School in the area. Now our children have to travel on a bus 25 miles each way to attend school.
I really think at least some of the problem here is that many of these priests and bishops (some of them sincerely) take seriously the continually repeated, in OT and NT, command to care for the poor. They're woefully uneducated in economics, and the Dems are the only ones who talk about the poor, the Republicans apparently having ceded the issue, although their policies would be far better for the majority of the poor. Maybe all Republican ads should have a brief explanation of some economic principle.
The Dems use the poor, both for cheap (to them -- judging from the Obama adminstration, Dems don't pay much in taxes) votes and expanded gov't (they also get to indulge their taste for controlling other people). Rush said something about welfare costs running to 70% administrative and 30% to the purported beneficiaries. A recent article in The American Spectator (posted on FR somewhere) said that the Feds are spending enough on welfare to give every poor family of four $65,000 a year.
I think too many of the American bishops think that under Republicans, the poor would be dying in the street. Of course, if they swallow the MSM and the Dem line (but I repeat myself), how could they think anything else?
**The pope accepted Martino’s resignation under a provision of church law in which a bishop, due to illness or “some other grave reason, has become unsuited” to carry out his duties. **
Looks like he is very ill.
I don't know where you are getting your information.
Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA http://www.dioceseofscranton.org/News/ScrantonBishopsProtestNotreDameDecisionApril2,2009.asp
27. Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton
That’s why it’s sad that he is being forced to resign for it.
"The words of the Bible and of the Church fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, that let the poison spread. Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have any problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible is an image I find repulsive."
—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 1997
I agree that closing schools and parishes is not good, but sometimes there are financial reasons that simply make it essential. Cdl Egan came into New York and closed a number of them; now I think Dolan will actually be able to not close a couple that had been scheduled for closing because the finances of the diocese are so much better.
My feeling is that Martino probably got fire on two fronts: from people at the parish level for his unpopular decisions about closing schools, etc.; and from the USCCB and his brother bishops for his outspoken orthodoxy and calls to discipline “Catholic” pro-abortion politicians.
The senior USCCB is practically an office of the Democratic party, along with the leaders of most religious orders. Martino was very critical of the decision to invite Obama to ND and Georgetown (I don’t think he even bothered to say anything about the scandal in Massachusetts because he clearly has no influence now). Personally, I think this is not a good sign for the Church or for orthodox bishops in general.
While the temporary head of the Scranton church [Cdl Rigali] reappointed the bulk of Martino's eight vicars to continue in their current capacities on an interim basis, one who didn't make the cut was Msgr Kevin McMahon -- the highly-regarded moral theologian Martino recently named as his episcopal vicar for "Catholic Doctrine, Identity and Mission."...Before the Scranton post was created for him last month, the priest of Wilmington served in St Louis as theological counsel to another prominent "lightning rod": Archbishop Raymond Burke, who was transferred to Rome last year...
Cdl Rigali is not the worst of the old line by any means, so if he is removing notably orthodox people, I don't think this is an encouraging sign.
Frankly, there are a lot of people -- I know we have a lot in my parish,. and we're in the Archdiocese of Phila -- who complain about school closings, etc, but also do not tithe -- or even give money to collections on Sunday, which help fund the schools. Then they crab when schools have to be consolidated or closed. Couple that with Fat Ed Rendell's cutting of the education budget, and...
We'll throw in some utility deacons to be named later.
I’m open to all negotiations. Except for guitar players. We have more of those than we can handle. Way more.
I’m open to all negotiations. Except for guitar players. We have more of those than we can handle. Way more.
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